Draft attachment for vehicles.



PATENTED MAR. 3, 1903.

l E. N. OLINK. DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1902.

NO MODEL.

ATENT OFFIcE.

ELISI-IA N. CLINK, OF EAST JORDAN, MICHIGAN.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7522,0841, dated March 3, 1903.

Application filed September 16, 1902. Serial No. 123,616. (No model.)

To atZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIsHA N. CLINK, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Jordan, in the county of Charlevoix and State of Michigamhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pole or Draft Attachments for Vehicles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to draft devices for vehicles; and the object of the same is to provide a strong, durable, and eificient device for absorbing or taking up of the shock of the wheels or runners of a vehicle when striking an obstruction or while passing over rough or uneven surfaces.

A further object of myinvention is to guide or aid in guiding the vehicle by the draft of the horses or other motive power.

I attain the object referred to by means of the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a vehicle tongue or pole provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a central cross-section through the cross-bars. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line a: 0:.

Like numerals of reference designate like parts wherever they occur in the different views of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates a tongue or pole for vehicles, which may be of the usual or any preferred construction, and 2 is a crossbar secured to the rear end of the pole inany suitable manner, as by braces 3 3, secured to the cross-bar and at the sides of the pole in any desirable manner. Secured to this crossbar centrally and near each end is a keeper 4, there being three such keepers shown in the drawings. The central keeper may be extended along the top of the pole to serve as a. wear-plate, upon which the ordinary hammer-strap maybe mounted. A suitable spring 6, which in the present instance is shown as a Hat bow-shaped spring, is secured centrally by a bolt or pin 7 to the rear end of the tongue, the free ends 8 of said spring resting upon bearing-plates 9 9, secured to the front face of the cross-bar 10, extending through the keepers and guided therein by means of saidkeepers. The bearing-plates 9 9 are secured in mortises in the cross-bar 10, so as to be flush with the front surface thereof, and are provided with outwardly-turned lips or flanges 11, which serve as guides tov insure the free action of the ends 8 of the spring 6.

The cross-bar 10 may be secured to the front axle of the vehicle by suitable bolts or clips or may be integral therewith or constitute a portion thereof.

The cross-bar 10 is held against endwise movement by a metal strap or clip 12,through which one member of the central keeper 4 passes and is permitted to slide therein.

A tongue, pole, or pair of shafts provided with my improvements and secured to either a wheelvehicle, or sleigh, will completely absorb and take up the sudden shocks to which the wheels or runners are liable to meet with in ordinary roads and will always insure a central draft to the vehicle. Should one of the front wheels strike an obstacle, the spring yields and prevents the front end of the tongue from striking the horse upon the op posite side and also immediately shifts the draft to the obstructed wheel or runner. Should both wheels strike an obstacle at the same time, the spring would yield at both ends in the desired degree to insure a central draft. It will be readily perceived that in the event of one of the wheels being deeply buried in the turf or mud or become located behind an obstruction the spring will promptly yield and shift substantially the entire draft to the obstructed side. It is also obvious that should both wheels suddenly pass over an obstacle at the same time the jar or jerking tendency would be largely overcome, and thus absorb the usual tendency to shock, strike, or jar the neck of the horses.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that my device is simple in construction, can be manufactured at a small cost, is strong and durable, and should meet all the requirements of an efficient spring draft appliance for vehicles of all kinds.

Various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim is- 1. A draft appliance for vehicles, comprising a cross-bar, keepers secured to the crossbar, a bar passing through the keepers, and a spring intermediate the bar and cross-bar arranged to yield independently at its ends or throughout its entire length.

2. A draft appliance for vehicles, comprising a tongue or shafts, parallel cross-bars at the rear end of said tongue or shafts and a yielding device intermediate the cross-bars designed to permit independent spring action at the ends of one of said cross-bars, substantially as described.

3. Ayielding draft device for vehicles,comprising a tongue or shafts having a cross-bar secured thereto, and carrying a plurality of keepers, a cross-bar mounted to move within the keepers, a yielding device between the cross-bars designed to permit an independent spring movement of the ends of the rear crossbar, substantially as described.

4. In a spring draft attachment for vehicles, a pole, a cross-bar secured at the rear end of the pole, a plurality of keepers attached to the cross-bar, a bow-shaped spring secured centrally to the cross-bar, a cross-bar mounted to move against the action of the spring in said keepers,and wear-plates against which the ends of the spring slide, substantially as described.

5. A spring draft device for vehicles, comprising parallel cross-bars, one of said crossbars carrying a plurality of keepers, a bowshaped spring secured centrally to one of the cross-bars, the ends of said spring resting against the other cross-bar for the purposedescribed.

6. A spring draft device for vehicles, consisting of a pole or shafts, a cross-bar secured thereto, and carrying a plurality of keepers, a bow-shaped spring secured to the cross-bar, the free ends of said spring bearing upon a wear-plate secured to a cross-bar mounted to move Within the keepers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELISHA N. CLINK.

\Vitnesses:

J AS. H. BLACKWOOD, MAY M. PLYER. 

